Device for rocking cribs



July 21, 1953 w w, s 2,645,790

- DEVICE FOR ROCKING CRIBS 1 Filed May 24,1950

WILLIAM E. HAYE5 Patented July 21, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEDEVICE FOR ROCKING cums William B. Hayes, Los Angeles, Calif. 7Application May 24, 1950, Serial No. 163,947

The device can be used with stant the rockin of the crib after itsinertia I is overcome, the problem presented regarding the requiredpower out-put of the electric motor supplying the force to rock the cribmust be solved. A motor having the power out-put required to overcomethe inertia has objectionable weight and cost, and is obviouslyunnecessary for maintaining constant the rocking of the crib.Conversely, a motor having a power output sumcient only to maintainconstant the rocking of the crib is inadequately powered to initiate therocking, thus preventing the automatic initiation of operation of thedevice when the motor is energized. My invention constitutes thesolution of this problem by utilizing a prime I 5 by means of sockets8'(Fig. 4), the rockers 5 being clamped in seats 8-41 by wing-boltsB-band the legs I being clamped in seats 8-0 by wingbolts 8-11. A suitableelectric motor lV ll with reduction gearing G-l having a driven Shaft 9is fixed on the bottom of the crib C-I intermediate the two legs I onone side of the crib C-l.

It is obvious that a counterpoise v(not shown) can be mounted on theother side of the crib to preserve its equilibrium. A crank 12 isadjustably mounted on the shaft 9-by a sleeve ID with a set-screw Ill-aand having a transverse bore II in which is slidable the crank I2 withsetscrew ll-a. The arm |2-a of the crank l2 mounted in sleeve in isnormal to shaft 9' and the arm lZ-b of crank I2 is normal to arm I2--aThe pitman I8 is lidably received in a sleeve 19, its end in the sleevel9 bearing on one endof a moving having a power out-put sufiicient onlyto maintain constant the making of the crib after that I do not considermy invention to be lim-.

ited to said specific embodiment but refer for its scope to the claimsappended hereto.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a transverse vertical section of a crib provided with myimproved device, a portion of the crib being broken away.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail, partly in section,

of the resilient member of the device shown in.

Fig. 1. v

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail of the connected shaft and crank of thedriving mechanism.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section on the line 44 of Fig. 1, in thedirection of the arrows.

In the device shown in the drawing, the rockers 5 of the crib 0-! restupon any suitable supporting medium S, such as the floor of a room. Thelegs I of the crib 0-! are mounted on the rockers coil spring 20 whichhas its other end protruding from thesleeve I9 and fixed to a base plate2| resting on the supporting medium S. A pin 22 transfixing the sleevel9 and passed transversely through spring 20 closely adjacent its endfixed to plate 2[ serves to so attach the sleeve I9 and spring 20 as tospacesleevelll from the PlateZl. I

I will now describe the use and operation of. my improved device. Theforce transmitted from the motor M-l by the gearing G-l causes thecrank'l2 to pres pitman l8 into the sleeve I9 to com-press the spring 20which, when sullicientlycompressed, causes pitman l8 to re-act toovercome the inertia of the cribv C-I and move upwardly the side of thecrib C-l to which the motor M-I is fixed. Successive revolutions of thecrank l2 cause increasing movement of the crib 0-] until its normaloscillatory motion is produced by the force of themotor M-l, the spring20 being no longer distorted.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a device for rocking a crib which has said prime mover; andresilient means associated with'said member and so interposed betweenthe crib and said medium as to convert the reciprocating motion of saidmember-into rocking motion of the crib, said prime mover having a powerout-put suflicient only to maintain constant said rocking motion afterthe inertia of the crib is overcome, and said resilient means havingsuch a degree of resiliency as to overcome said inertia.

2. In a device for rocking a crib having rockers enabling it to rock,the combination of a prime mover mounted on the crib; a reciprocablemember connected to and driven by said prime mover; a fixed re-actionmember; and resilient means, connecting said members, for converting thereciprocating motion of said reciprocable member into rocking motion ofthe crib.

3. In a device for rocking a crib having rockers enablin it to rock, thecombination of a prime mover mounted on the crib; areciprocable memberconnected to and driven by said prime mover; a fixed re-action member;and resilient means, connecting said members, for converting thereciprocating motion of said reciprocable member into rocking motion ofthe crib, said prime mover having a power out-put sufficient only tomaintain constant said'rocking motion after the inertia of the crib isovercome, and said resilient means having suflicient resiliency toproduce a torque to overcome said inertia.

4. In a device for rocking a crib having rockers enabling it to rock,the combination of a driven shaft, journaled on the crib; a crankadjustably mounted on said shaft; a pitman pivoted on said crank; afixed re-action member; and a resilient member connecting said pitmanand said re-action member.

WILLIAM B. HAYES.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 459,555 Sutton Sept. 5, 1891 611,174 King Sept. 20, 18981,420,582 Shea June 20, 1922 1,449,301 Shea Mar. 20, 1923 1,582,510Cipresso Apr. 27, 1926 1,704,914 Fairweather Mar. 12, 1929 2,251,141Lehman July 29, 1941

